Free Space in His Heart by Roxanne St. Claire Page A

launch.”
    “Love it. It’ll be a big story when it blows
up.”
    She cringed and looked around the table at
the frowns and shaking heads. “It won’t.”
    “I’ve got an inside source who says budgets
are cut so deep that faulty wires are the norm, not the exception.
Not what the taxpaying public wants to hear, nor the families of
those poor astronauts, I’d imagine.”
    “Sorry. You’ve got bad information. Why don’t
you talk to one of the astronauts?”
    “Fat chance. They keep those guys locked up
tight until they want to parade them in their orange suits before a
mission.”
    Jessica smiled at Colonel Price. “Not always,
Paul. I can get you one of their best. A former Naval officer
deeply involved in safety prep. He’s piloted Discovery and
is scheduled to command Atlantis next May. Commander Deke
Stockard. This guy’s great. Honest, smart, and completely
trustworthy.”
    Deke shifted uncomfortably at her blatant
promotion of him. The propaganda was one thing. His nagging fear
that the reporter might be closer to the truth than any of them
wanted to admit was even more disturbing.
    “I’d love to talk to him. How quickly can I
get him? I have about an hour to finish the story.”
    “Or kill it,” she added deftly. “I’m at
Kennedy now, Paul. I can get him in a few minutes.” She paused a
moment. “Oh, by the way, any awards coming your way for the IBM
story?”
    “No Pulitzers yet, but a ton of email and
letters. It really got noticed and I’ve had a few juicy assignments
because of it.” The reporter chuckled. “I owe you on that one,
Jess.”
    A satisfied smile lit her face, making it
obvious that she expected a favor in return for whatever she’d
given him in the past. “Why don’t you hold a minute? I have
Commander Stockard available for you.” She stabbed the hold button
and looked up at Deke. “Ready?”
    He stood and moved into the chair next to
her, his resentment rolling in waves that he hoped she could
feel.
    “What’s the matter?” she asked. “Everything
you’re about to say is true, isn’t it?”
    “True enough.” He reached for the hold button
and met her challenging gaze. “Let’s get this over with.”
    After her introductions, the reporter
attempted some small talk. “You’re not taking Endeavour up
in February, are you, Commander Stockard? You’re taking Atlantis up in May, I understand.”
    Deke didn’t try to keep the annoyance out of
his voice. “Correct. But since I’m involved with the pre-launch
preparation for both missions, let me address this so-called memo
you have.”
    “Fine. How have cost cuts affected
safety?”
    “They haven’t.” The smartest thing she’d said
was to bury him in facts and Deke began immediately. In ten
minutes, he could hear the reporter’s keyboard quiet as he either
ran out of steam or interest. Even Jessica stopped taking
notes.
    “All that may be true, Commander,” Paul
finally said. “But you can’t eliminate all risk, can you?”
    “You know, Mr. Zimmerman, we all take risks
in this business, but not stupid ones,” he answered slowly. “I
don’t want to die and neither do the men and women I fly with. We
participate in or review data from nearly thirty inspections that
take place on every piece of equipment on a shuttle prior to
launch. When we sit on that launch pad with sixty tons of liquid
hydrogen under us, we intend to come home.”
    The clicking of Paul’s keys stopped
completely. “I appreciate your time, sir. I hope I get the
opportunity to speak with you again.”
    “If it’s necessary.”
    Deke watched Jessica quickly slide the
speakerphone closer to her, giving him a warning look. Hey, he
played her game. He didn’t have to play nice.
    “We can get you a pass for the launch, Paul,”
she offered brightly. “Can we expect a response today from your
editorial board on this story?”
    “I’ll give you a call before eleven and let
you know what’s happening. Thanks again, Commander